# What is the source of the "I'm from the Internet!" photo? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 18, 2010, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-source-of-the-im-from-the-internet-photo/539903 "2010-05-18T16:51:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sweeteviljesus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@sweeteviljesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweeteviljesus)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-source-of-the-im-from-the-internet-photo/539903/1 "2010-05-18T16:51:55Z")
I recently saw the [photo](http://giveupinternet.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/dont-worry-sir-im-from-internet.jpg) of a rather obese young man in full battle rattle with a caption that says “Don’t worry sir, I’m from the Internet!” What was the source of this photo? Thanks, Rob ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-source-of-the-im-from-the-internet-photo/539903/2 "2010-05-18T17:00:40Z")
This is just a guess, but I’d say it from one of those ‘State’ Militias or from that fundamentalist group that was in the news recently. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-source-of-the-im-from-the-internet-photo/539903/3 "2010-05-18T17:22:13Z")
Paintballers? ---
**Author:** ![ChrisBooth12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@ChrisBooth12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChrisBooth12)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-source-of-the-im-from-the-internet-photo/539903/4 "2010-05-18T17:37:20Z")
More like redneck airsofters. ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-source-of-the-im-from-the-internet-photo/539903/5 "2010-05-18T17:37:45Z")
That doesn’t look anything like a paintball rig, but it could very well be an Airsoft gun. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-source-of-the-im-from-the-internet-photo/539903/6 "2010-05-18T17:54:19Z")
> [@JSexton](#): > > That doesn’t look anything like a paintball rig, but it could very well be an Airsoft gun. I’m not sure it’s an Airsoft gun either…my son is into those, and I haven’t seen one like that in the store. The one being held by the guy in the background looks even less like an Airsoft gun. ---
**Author:** ![Who\_me\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/958977/32.png) [@Who\_me\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Who_me_1)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-source-of-the-im-from-the-internet-photo/539903/7 "2010-05-18T18:02:43Z")
The earliest reference I could find was from December 2005. > **[Don’t Worry. I’m From the Internet 2/2](http://www.myconfinedspace.com/2005/12/15/dont-worry-im-from-the-internet-22/)** > > Don't Worry Sir. I'm from the internet. ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-source-of-the-im-from-the-internet-photo/539903/8 "2010-05-18T18:21:55Z")
> [@Duke](#): > > I’m not sure it’s an Airsoft gun either…my son is into those, and I haven’t seen one like that in the store. The one being held by the guy in the background looks even less like an Airsoft gun. They’re not cheap, but [they exist](http://www.redwolfairsoft.com/redwolf/airsoft/Accessories_Conversion_Kits_AEG_Inokatsu_M60E3_COMPLETE_Kit_Set_Single_Box_Set.htm). ---
**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-source-of-the-im-from-the-internet-photo/539903/9 "2010-05-18T18:49:52Z")
I kind of assumed they were LARPers. (Live action roleplaying.) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-source-of-the-im-from-the-internet-photo/539903/10 "2010-05-18T19:57:06Z")
[Tin Eye](http://www.tineye.com/) gives a dozen pages of matches, but it looks like most of them have the “I’m from the Internet” caption already on them, so that’s not much help. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-source-of-the-im-from-the-internet-photo/539903/11 "2010-05-18T20:35:37Z")
Looks Photoshopped. ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2010, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-source-of-the-im-from-the-internet-photo/539903/12 "2010-05-18T22:32:19Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Looks Photoshopped. Yes. I can tell from some of the pixels and having seen lots of shops in my time. ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-source-of-the-im-from-the-internet-photo/539903/13 "2010-05-19T00:39:19Z")
Yes, there’s no way those letters could have been floating in mid air naturally. ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-source-of-the-im-from-the-internet-photo/539903/14 "2010-05-19T01:02:58Z")
I say airsoft. The building in the background looks like a cheap bunker to be used in the games. I went airsofting once with a guy from work and his son had a gun a lot like the one in front. The big box on top is a laser sight, probably a fake plastic one just for looks. The guy’s son banged his against a tree and it shattered. The machine gun in the background looks like an M240G which I don’t think has a civilian variant, so either they’re real military or it’s fake. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-source-of-the-im-from-the-internet-photo/539903/15 "2010-05-19T15:52:54Z")
I thought it obvious that the source of the photo is the Internet. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-source-of-the-im-from-the-internet-photo/539903/16 "2010-05-19T16:40:59Z")
> [@Manduck](#): > > Yes, there’s no way those letters could have been floating in mid air naturally. Oh please! You’ve never seen writing on glass before? Why does everyone immediately jump to “It’s Photoshopped”? ---
**Author:** ![what\_do\_I\_type\_here](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a5b964/32.png) [@what\_do\_I\_type\_here](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/what_do_I_type_here)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2010, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-source-of-the-im-from-the-internet-photo/539903/17 "2010-05-19T23:20:28Z")
> [@Manduck](#): > > Yes, there’s no way those letters could have been floating in mid air naturally. Yeah when I saw that I was like “FAKE; NO ONE CAN DO THAT.” Serious speculation: it’s gotta be an airsoft reenactment.